After Midnight
by opera nerddd
Summary: Set right after WAW. Somethings just can't be left unresolved. NitaRonan. Dair--
1. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own it... yet... 8D

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**It was 12:30 am by the time Nita's dad had given up waiting for Dairine to arrive. It was one when he finally fell asleep despite the fact that his younger daughter was no where to be found. 

Nita sunk down the hall to Dairine's room. As she opened the door, the occupant of the bed sat up causing the springs to squeak.

"Nita?" His voice was slurred as he spoke. Apparently he had just been woken up. Nita smiled at this.

She shut the door and did a quick wizardry to sound-proof the room. Then, breathing a little heavily, she turned to look- or rather glare- at him.

"Ronan, not once. Not even once. Would it really be that hard to send a message or do a transit? Would it really be so impossible to act like you cared?"

"Nita," he said rising from the bed, "I wanted to. So many times. Every time I was at Annie's house I couldn't stop thinking about you."

She was very conscious of the fact that Ronan was only wearing boxers and was slowly approaching her. The knowledge made her heart start beating franticly but she pressed on.

"Then why didn't you? It's been almost a year!"

Ronan was no less aware that Nita's pajamas consisted of short shorts and a thin tank top. He also noticed how gorgeous she was when she was mad. While he'd known this last summer, too, she seemed to have grown more beautiful in the months they'd been apart.

"It was Kit."

Nita was shocked at this statement and opened her mouth to argue but before she could Ronan explained.

"He made me swear not to see you again. He said I'd hurt you too much, that you didn't _want_ to see me again. And, well, I'd rather not see you at all than make you unhappy. So I agreed. I'm a wizard; I can't break my promises."

"Kit said that? It's… not true. The only way you've hurt me is by not being here when I needed you." Tears started forming in Nita's eyes but she blinked them away before Ronan could see.

"If I'd known that I would never have made that promise." He was now only a few feet away and still drawing closer. "But, Neets, why is it only me? Why couldn't you come? Why didn't you message me or send me a thought?"

"Are you serious?" This time she didn't bother stopping the tears. "Between my mother _dying_ and saving an abdal from the Lone Power I haven't exactly had much-"

But before she could finish Ronan interrupted her. "Nita, calm down. I was joking. I know." He wrapped one arm around her using the other to wipe away her tears. "It's in the past. I love you, okay?"

"Okay."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her arms creped around his neck; he pulled her body closer to his.

Nita lifted her head and leaned in to meet his kiss.

Right then, there was a faint pop of displaced air.

Nita and Ronan both blinked and looked towards the window, where the sound had come from.

"You know what—I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight. I think it'll be quieter." With that the ever perceptive Dairine grabbed pajamas and left the room silently.

Before Nita's anger bubbled out of her, Roan had his hands on her face. When their lips finally met that night, Nita felt a uncontrollable sense of homesickness. The green of his mind felt so familiar; in a way she almost missed it.

Her hands were on his chest in an instant. She _had_ missed him. Her hands moved up and knotted in his hair as she pulled him closer to her, molding her body against his. Their tongues wrestled with each other, but Ronan pulled away for a second. He lifted his lips from hers, letting her guide his head to the hollow of her neck.

Their lips joined again when he pushed her roughly against the wall, but a new color of mind sense had entered.

_Nita?_ Kit asked. _What's going on?_

"Crap. Ronan, it's Kit!" Nita whispered. Reluctantly, we detangled himself from her.

_What do you mean Kit?_ Nita thought.

Ronan chuckled from Dairine's bed. "Bad mood?"

_You mind usually has a bit of red in it. It was all green a second ago. Very green. _

Nita blinked guiltily. _I have no idea. But Dairine just got back and I was talking to her. So I should go._

_Yeah sure. Good night, Neets_. With that Kit broke the connection.

"Didn't feel like telling him the truth?" Ronan glared.

"I didn't lie. And I don't want to deal with a jealous Kit right now. At least let me wait until morning."

He smiled and opened his arms in a welcoming gesture so she joined him on the bed.

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**A/N:** It's up to you guys if I keep this one up or make it a oneshot. So REVIEW my lovely readers! You know you want to... ;) 


	2. Explanations

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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The young sun peeked though the branches and windows to reach the eyelids of a very tired red-head in Nassau County. Dairine's eyes fluttered open and took in the early morning scene of her downstairs living room. Not understanding why she was there, she laid in the tangle of blankets on the couch. 

"Spot," she said groggily. At her call, the laptop sprouted eyes and legs. It lazily walked to its master and companion and sat down at her side. "Why am I here?" she asked.

The laptop chuckled. "Shall I play it for you or do you want me to tell you?"

She sighed. "Play it."

Again, the computer laughed. It opened itself up and began to run a video program that the mobiles had updated. Spot had stayed in the room for a few seconds longer than Dairine had and had captured the reaction after she left. Dairine saw Ronan's violent assault on Nita's lips and winced.

"Thanks Spot, I get it now."

Ending the program, it laughed again. "You might want to stay down here for a while still."

Dairine shook her head and pulled up the blankets again, covering her body and blocking out any cold air that dared to seep through.

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Ronan rolled over and hit his head on the wall. Startled, his eyes popped open, letting him view a white plaster wall, metal bars of a twin size bed, and just the tiniest bit of a set of Star Wars bed sheets. He immediately popped up from his position, his knee colliding with that of a certain American, female wizard. Nita's legs were wrapped around Ronan and her hand was on his pillow. He lovingly pushed the hair out of her eyes as he let his mind wander back to the previous night. He had kissed Nita. Actually, he had done a lot more than kiss her. He smiled and looked down at her, a small smile on her lips too. 

He bent down and kissed her forehead. Then, as gently as possible, he lifted himself over Nita and off of the bed. Despite his best efforts, the bed squeaked loudly and Nita rolled over, a soft moan escaping her lips.

Sighing, he walked around the room to pick up the clothes that had been thrown from the bed last night and he began to dress again.

He was pulling his pants when he heard a faint _pop!_ of displaced air. He swung around and found himself face to face with a short African American boy who radiated power. The boy blanched, taking in the scene of discarded clothes, rumpled bed sheets, and the nearly naked Irish man.

His eyes flew to the floor. "Perhaps this is a bad time. I'll come back later," he said, more to himself than to Ronan.

Ronan, who had the good sense to pull up his pants all the way and grab a shirt, stopped the kid with a hand before he could disappear. "Who were you looking for?"

The boy looked up. "Dairine... This is the correct house, is it not?" He spoke formally.

Ronan nodded. "It is. She's downstairs. I'm Ronan, by the way."

Instant recognition flashed in his eyes and he said with awe, "Oh, you're the one who freed the Hesper on Rashah. I'm Darryl."

Ronan tilted his head in a welcome that would have been perfectly at home on Alaalu if it still had been inhabited, "Yeah, I believe we crossed paths on the moon. The first time that is."

"You mean the time when you were still fully alive?" the boy laughed.

A rare smile crossed Ronan's face when he nodded. _The kid sure is easy to get along with_, he thought.

Unexpectedly, a voice responded to him, _Isn't he?_ Ronan's eyes briefly widened. _Good morning, sunshine. _

Looking over to the bed, Ronan noticed that Nita's eyes were still closed but the corners of her lips twisted up in a faint smile. He shook his head, returning his attention to the young wizard who was slowly fading back into a shell of awkwardness.

Raising his arm to scratch the back of his neck, Darryl spoke again. "I think I'm going to go check if Dairine is awake. It was nice meeting you, Ronan."

"You too..." The door closed. "... Most Honored."

"Most Honored?" came a quizzical voice from the bed.

Ronan turned around and nodded gravely. "I recognized what he was on the moon. He's our savior-- he's the reason we can do wizardry. He's practically one of the Powers as far as we're concerned, because he is purely a conduct for Their power." He drew closer to Nita now, and he sat on the bed beside her. "In fact, if it weren't for him, we never would have met."

Nita smiled shyly and reached her lips up to meet his in a chaste kiss. "Then, I guess I should be thanking him profusely," she said, pulling away.

"Yes, you really should," Ronan agreed. "I was wondering, why does he need to see Dairine at--," he looked at the blinking LCD of a wookie alarm clock, "8 o'clock on a Saturday morning?"

Nita bowed her head. "My little sister is a corrupting impetus on all young wizards of the universe. It wouldn't surprise me if she has brought him over to the dark side," Nita joked. With a stern look from Ronan, she corrected her answer to something just as feasible, but slightly more probable. "She probably lassoed him into finding Roshaun for her. The kid worships her. He would do anything to work with her."

Ronan shook his head. "That's all we need, little Dairine followers running around with more power than they know what to do with."

"She has a whole planet of followers," Nita laughed bitterly. "Is one wizard going to make a difference?"

"Not just any wizard. A pillar. That could make a difference."

Nita's eyes widened mockingly. "She could take over the world. Powers That Be, don't let them reproduce!"

Ronan shuddered at the thought. "Does he know that he's going out to resurrect his competition?"

"Well maybe we should inform him of such a thing," Nita suggested, rising from the bed.

Ronan rose and threw her clothes to her. "Maybe we should."

When she was fully dressed, she grabbed his hand and swept out of the room.

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**A/N: Chapter 3 is almost done. I might have it done within the week. Impressive, right?**

**Many thanks to cazlove for bringing me wonderful lines and roses on Valentine's Day. **

**The little purple button awaits you.**


	3. Explanations Part 2

**Not yet. I'm working on kidnapping DD so that I can _finally_ read a WOM.**

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"Dairine," came a soft voice from the top of the stairs

"Dairine," came a soft voice from the top of the stairs. The girl in question flipped up her eyes and glared accusingly at the perpetrator. They softened, however, when she saw who was calling her name.

She was up expectantly. "Darryl. Did you find anything for me?"

Sadly, he shook his head. "Nothing yet. But I might have a lead. There's a faint trail, a sort of wizardry residue. My wizPod was just able to pick it up. It seems like it travels to Wellakh for a while but then it vanishes. I find it hard to believe that it just vanishes. I think he's where it ends. Like he got lost or forgot where he was going or why or for who or—"

"Darryl!" the red-head shouted over his speech. "You're rambling. Calm down.

He shook his head. "No, no I can't. I don't know. I just can't stop."

Dairine glared at him. "What happened to you?" she asked, articulating every word.

His dark skin flushed significantly and his head bowed. "Oh well um you see I was in your room but you weren't there—well obviously not, you're here—and this guy was and he was the one who carried the One's Champion and he um well he wasn't exactly decent and Nita was there and she was in the bed and uh…"

Dairine could no longer contain her laughter when his rushed, confusing words faded to soundlessness.

Darryl gave her an odd look, wondering what she found so funny.

Composing herself, Dairine let out one last coarse laugh. She sucked in a ragged breath ad opened her mouth to speak. "Darryl love," her voice was sweeter than honey, "come sit down next to me." She sat up and moved aside some blankets for the smaller boy to sit. When he did, she placed a loving hand on his shoulder. "Darryl, when two people really love each other, or they're just horny, they have sex. Now I'm going to tell you all about the birds and the bees."

Darryl's skin was more red than brown by this time. "No Dairine, I already know what they were doing. Y-you don't have to tell me."

Dairine raised her eyebrows. "You know… everything?"

At this, he cocked his head. "Maybe not _everything_, but my parents told me about it. Most of it, I think."

"Uh-huh," she said patiently. "But I can tell you more." Her smile was warm and inviting. Darryl was lost to her charm. He enthusiastically nodded, like he would enjoy nothing more than listening to Dairine talk about the volume of the kitchen sink. He followed her into said kitchen.

When Nita and Ronan walked in, they found Darryl staring in rapture at Dairine, banana in hand.

The older Callahan turned her head towards Ronan and repeated, "Corrupting impetus." He merely gaped at the sight.

Nita faced her younger sister again. As calmly as she could, she asked, "Dair, could you please come with me?"

She stood from the table and walked into the living room with Nita, leaving Darryl and Ronan alone again.

They were both silent and could hear the two sister talking in the next room.

"You were teaching him about _sex_?! That's something his parents should be teaching him!"

A small sound of shuffling feet and then came the reply, "They did teach him the basics but there are certain things he wouldn't know…"

"And you thought it was your duty to teach him? At the very least, it should be someone who knows firsthand about that stuff!"

"Like you or Ronan?" and the boys could hear the evil smile in her voice.

With a string of four letter words that would have made her father frown, had he knew what had been going on in his house that past few hours, Nita slapped her little sister across her cheek. The jujitsu student violently blocked the next few attacks.

"Was that absolutely necessary, Juanita Louise?"

The daughters paused in a freeze frame as their father descended the stairs.

"Daddy…"

His reply was sharp. "Don't 'Daddy' me. I don't care if you just saved the universe; you still have to obey _my_ rules."

Both girls dropped their arms and heads. They sat on the couch as Mr. Callahan walked into the kitchen. "You," he said, looking at Darryl, "should go home. Dairine will talk to you when she is not grounded."

Darryl nodded respectfully and left with the usual _pop! _It was then Ronan's turn for a speech.

"As you are injured, I would feel uncomfortable making you do wizardry to get you out of here and I doubt you have much money. Given the information I have heard, I see you still have strength though. Perhaps enough to spend your last few days recovering with Kit or Tom and Carl. I'd appreciate it if my house only had its family members in it for a few days, especially because my daughter will only be leaving for school and 'business'. You can use the phone over there," and he pointed to the counter, "to call someone."

Ronan, too, nodded. "I think I'll try the seniors," he commented as he started to make his way over to the telephone.

"As for you two," he turned, "I gave you those self defense lessons in case someone was to beat you up. Not for you to attack your sister. And I have never allowed language like that in my house. To your rooms. I'm sure you have homework from the past two weeks."

He returned to the kitchen were Ronan was hanging up the phone and began making his coffee.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Callahan," the Irishman said, leaving.

He sat down at the table and rubbed his eyes just as the girls looked back from the top of the stairs. "It's all just too much, Betty."

**My computer broke. And I lost everything. It was horrible. I'm sorry.**

**I have no idea where this is going. And I'm taking 2 APs and 2 honors classes at my school. I'll update as much as I can but... hehe... We saw how othen _that_ was. XD**


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